1. Technical Field
This invention relates to painted parts and, more particularly, to painted plastic body panels for use in the automotive industry.
2. Discussion
There has been an increasing use of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) exterior body panels in the automotive industry. The FRP parts are generally characterized as being more lightweight and corrosion resistant than their metal counterparts. However, one of the problems preventing even more widespread use of FRP exterior automotive body panels is the difficulty in obtaining good painted surface quality that matches or exceeds that of traditional stamped metal panels. One of these problems is known in the trade as "show through" which is a distortion or blemish seen when viewing the painted exterior surface of the finished part.